strange stuff

From strange crimes to strange celebrity deaths, read all of the latest weird and strange stuff news stories on Newser.com

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Cops Spent 4 Hours Looking for a 'Unicorn'

Runaway pony in costume was eventually found in an orchard

(Newser) - California Highway Patrol spent hours searching for a "unicorn" on Wednesday. Yes, really. A white pony named Juliette, adorned with a horn as part of a fairy-tale photo shoot in Madera Ranchos, Calif., suddenly took off on her handler, reports CNN . She was caught but soon escaped again. Police...

She Tried to Run Across a Sea—and Almost Made It

Lindsey Russell traveled 17 miles in an inflatable ball

(Newser) - A British TV host tried to run 20 miles across the Irish Sea. She nearly made it, too. Inside a 10-foot-wide inflatable ball attached to paddles, 25-year-old Lindsey Russell set off from Donaghadee in Northern Ireland at 6:30am on Thursday in an attempt to raise money for Sport Relief...

Penn. Cops: Star Student Turns Out to Be Impostor

'Teen' is really a 23-year-old Ukrainian national, they allege

(Newser) - Asher Potts, 18, was a star student at Pennsylvania's Harrisburg High School: Among other things, he was a student rep with the school board, a candidate for local media's Best & Brightest program, a member of the ROTC and Naval Sea Cadet program, and runner-up for homecoming king,...

They're Back: Shoes Containing Human Feet Found in Canada

More than a dozen have washed ashore since 2007

(Newser) - After a short respite, athletic shoes containing human feet are once again washing up on Canadian shores, the Guardian reports. Earlier this month, a family visiting a Vancouver Island beach made a "grisly discovery," according to the CBC . "We had a look at it for about five...

Puzzling Ocean Buzz Could Be Fish Farts

Scientists say the Pacific Ocean is filled with strange sound at dusk and dawn

(Newser) - When scientists first started hearing an odd noise emanating from the depths of the Pacific Ocean a few years ago, they didn't know what to think. The sound (described as a continuous humming or buzzing that only happens at certain times of day) wasn't from typical ocean activity...

Guy Changes Name to 'Bacon Double Cheeseburger'

'No regrets,' says British man

(Newser) - We get that if your name is Simon Smith, you might long for more exotic nomenclature. But this British bloke admits his recent name change was "the culmination of probably too many drinks in the pub," per the Evening Standard . Smith, now officially known as Mr. Bacon Double...

Toddler in Egypt Receives Life Sentence

Military admits mistaken identity, but parents are still worried

(Newser) - An Egyptian court has handed down a life sentence that would be longer than most if carried out: The alleged criminal is all of 4 years old, max. The strange case involves little Ahmed Mansour Qorany Sharara, reports CNN . A military court this month found him and 115 others guilty...

Postal Service Is Sorry for Delivering Blood-Stained Mail

No, it wasn't viral marketing for a mail carrier-based horror movie

(Newser) - The US Postal Service has apologized to residents along an upstate New York mail route who received mail stained with blood, the AP reports. A Postal Service spokesperson for the agency's western New York district tells the Olean Times Herald that the blood was from a mail carrier whose...

Brussels' New Traffic Nightmare: Hungry Mice

Rodents in Brussels don't give 2 hoots about traffic congestion, apparently

(Newser) - Decaying road tunnels have left Brussels in a perpetual state of traffic chaos, but repairs are apparently on hold due to what CityLab deems possibly "the world's worst excuse for poor infrastructure": hungry rodents. Because the transportation department was housed 25 years ago in a hotel (apparently when...

Woman Develops 'Temporary Kleptomania' After Surgery

Brazilian went in for a tummy tuck and boob job, came out with a desire to steal

(Newser) - A woman who went under the knife for a little nip-and-tuck in 2013 ended up with a case of pocket-and-run as well. Per Live Science , the 40-year-old Brazilian had cosmetic surgery on her stomach, arms, and breasts, but just a few days after the procedure, she started having "recurring...

Aussie Town Battling Insane 'Hairy Panic' Tumbleweed

Wangaratta residents blame a negligent farmer

(Newser) - Roof-high swarms of tumbleweed are attacking a town in Australia and "it's not funny anymore," a resident tells the BBC . For some time, residents of Wangaratta in rural Victoria have been forced to spend hours a day digging out homes and cars buried beneath a fast-growing tumbleweed...

Daughter Marries, Then Dad Vanishes From Wedding

Search for 55-year-old Prasad Moparti called off in California

(Newser) - The night before her wedding ceremony in Walnut Grove, Calif., Durga Moparti's father danced. What followed the next day "seems like a total mystery," the 29-year-old tells Fox40 . Prasad Moparti apparently told a relative he was going for a brief walk. The 55-year-old wandered off around 4pm...

Actor Killed by Prop Samurai Sword

Tokyo cops aren't sure if it was an accident or murder

(Newser) - Police in Tokyo are investigating a bizarre incident that sounds like a plot rejected by a detective show for being too clichéd. NBC News reports that 33-year-old theater actor Daigo Kashino died on Monday after a 28-inch replica samurai sword pierced his belly while he was practicing for a...

Fearing Cannibalism, Aquarium Cancels Octopus Sex Show

No love for Kong this year

(Newser) - For visitors to the Seattle Aquarium, Valentine's Day just wasn't the same this year, after the annual giant Pacific octopus sex exhibition was canceled. But it's not because aquarium staff came to the conclusion that it's weird to invite a bunch of people to come watch...

14 Years Later, They Found Her Purse

Julie Curry's lost bag turns up in the ceiling of a bank in Oklahoma

(Newser) - In a case of better late than never, a purse that went missing more than a decade ago has been found in the ceiling of a bank in Oklahoma City. Now the bag is headed back to its owner, Julie Curry, who now lives in Cherokee, Kan., KFOR reports. Curry'...

PETA Freaks Over 'Greased Pig,' Learns There's No Actual Pig

It's a guy on skates in a pig costume, natch

(Newser) - PETA launched a protest against a New Hampshire winter carnival event billed as a "Greased Pig on Ice," but withdrew it after learning there's no pig in the act—just a man on skates in a pig costume with dollar bills tied to his tail. Steve Smith,...

Man Vows to Keep Potato-Only Diet for a Year

Andrew Taylor says he's already lost 30 pounds in 2016

(Newser) - A little over 40 days into 2016, Andrew Taylor has lost more than 30 pounds eating as much as he likes. The catch: He's only eating potatoes. The Australian man—who weighed 333 pounds at the start of the year—says he decided to go on a spud diet...

Woman Falls 60 Feet, Lands in a Lucky Spot

A department store's display bed, to be exact

(Newser) - There's never a good time to accidentally plunge 60 feet off a balcony, but there is sometimes a good place to land if that happens: like on a bed. That's the incredible good fortune of a 60-year-old woman who took such a plunge while in a department store...

Amazon Will Void Its Terms of Service If the Zombies Come

Game developers using Lumberyard software get a pass if living dead show up

(Newser) - Your eyes may usually glaze over while reading companies' terms of service, but a paragraph buried in the ToS for Amazon's newly released game engine is worthy of your attention, CNNMoney reports. Lumberyard's beta version dropped Tuesday, and the company frames its purpose like so : "Whether you...

Scientists Find Source of Rare 'Vibration Allergy'

Gene mutation leads body to release inflammatory chemicals: study

(Newser) - There's no such thing as good vibrations for those suffering from "the vibration allergy." Yes, that's a real thing. The rare inherited condition, known formally as vibratory urticarial, causes an allergic reaction in patients during the most mundane exercises—think mowing the lawn, jogging, riding the...

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